# Bent Tin -- 1792 Dark Kendal Flake -- is it still good?



## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

It's my hope that one or more of you experienced gentlemen might be able to provide me an idea as to whether a *15+* year old 50g. tin of 1792 Dark Kendal Flake tobacco that I have, would still be good (the tobacco inside I mean), in spite of the tin having succumbed to what appears to be vacuum warping or whatever? The tin has never been opened.

When I gently shake the tin side-to-side, I can hear some loose tobac hitting the sides of the tin. . . but for all intensive purposes, it "sounds" rather solid within.

Below are some pics; the second photo depicts the back of the tin and the warpage of the tin's metal which I am referring to:

As you can see in this second photo, the metal at the top right and bottom left corners of the tin have creased from what I presume was/is vacuum pressure that had built-up over the years.

Do believe the tobac inside is still viable?

Many thanks in advance,

~Gary


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Looks good to me. I doubt that it was any kind of internal pressure that bent the tin, it looks like something got set across the 2 corners.

Does the tin have a date on it, or how do you know it is 15 years old? That's not the current label but you can buy a tin of 1792 for less than $7 today, I was only 11 in 1994 so I have no idea how much pipe tobacco cost then but $8.79 seams high.


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

Looks fine to me, if you gently squeeze it and it feels "sealed" then it probably is.

I'm resisting the urge to make the obligatory "looks bad, send it to me to test" joke.


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## Arctic Fire (Jan 17, 2010)

Jack Straw said:


> I'm resisting the urge to make the obligatory "looks bad, send it to me to test" joke.


LOL thats what i wanted to say when i first seen this but decided to hold back too.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Garys4598 said:


> Do believe the tobac inside is still viable?


There's only one way to find out...


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

Unless if it's bent toward the top where it meets the lid, it's probably still ok. If you're still unsure feel free to send it to me for testing (oh yeah, I went there).

P.S. I would love to know what 15 year old 1792 is like!


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## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

Commander Quan said:


> . . .Does the tin have a date on it, or how do you know it is 15 years old? That's not the current label but you can buy a tin of 1792 for less than $7 today, I was only 11 in 1994 so I have no idea how much pipe tobacco cost then but $8.79 seams high.


Regarding the tin's date. . . I received it in its current condition back during 2002. It was a gift of sorts from Larry Roush, and I was left assuming that the tin had been sitting around his shop for quite some time (Larry shared with me that he receives all sorts of free tobacco samplers, which was no big surprise to me).

Perhaps I was off several years on the tin's packaging date, but I can say with 100% confidence that it is at least 8 years old.


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## Rascal (Jan 29, 2010)

MarkC said:


> There's only one way to find out...


Yep. It is an easy mystery to solve.


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## rlaliberty (Jul 6, 2008)

Can't help with the original question but what is that pipe? I love it!


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Garys4598 said:


> Do believe the tobac inside is still viable?


I don't believe 1792 is ever viable, or at least I find it not smokable. :evil:

But your tin should be as good as it ever was, even in that tin condition. Try it out and see.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

dmkerr said:


> I don't believe 1792 is ever viable:


Bite Your Tongue!


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## IHT (Dec 27, 2003)

the pipe looks like a Tom Eltang Eskimo shape... only a few other pipe makers make that shape. so, could be one of the few that make it, or a Tom Eltang.

as far as the tobacco still being good, i would say that it is, just on looks of the bottom of the tin. i've had a # of tins from SG that looked like that on the bottom. still sealed, tobacco still fresh to the touch when finally opened.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Commander Quan said:


> Bite Your Tongue!


1792 doesn't bite my tongue so much as it simply offends it! :evil:

It's one of those "love it or hate it" tobaccos. I just happen to hate it.


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## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

rlaliberty said:


> Can't help with the original question but what is that pipe? I love it!


Thanks. I love it too! It is a ukulele shape that I commissioned Jack Howell to make for me.

Haven't gotten around to smoking it just yet. . . it's just too dang purty! :razz:


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## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

IHT said:


> the pipe looks like a Tom Eltang Eskimo shape... only a few other pipe makers make that shape. so, could be one of the few that make it, or a Tom Eltang. . . .


I own one of those from Tom Eltang as well . . . (guess I need to get my digital camera out this evening to perform a side-by-side photo of my Howell next to my Eltang, and post the pic here). . . I'm slightly disappointed with my Eskimo shape Eltang though, the pipe's mortise to stem fit is not very tight (which is the way it arrived new, when I purchased it). Since it's such a small pipe, I'm strongly considering epoxing the stem to the shank, just so that the stem doesn't twist when I smoke it or when cleaning it.

EVERYONE ELSE: Thank you gentlemen so very much for your suggestions and feedback. Naturally, my take away from this discourse is, "I need to open the tin and see for myself" what condition the tobac is in. :redface:

~Gary


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

Pull gently on the lid. If it falls off, there's yer answer. These rectangular tins are sealed with negative pressure (vacuum) and once opened, they never close back again.


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## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

RJpuffs said:


> Pull gently on the lid. If it falls off, there's yer answer. These rectangular tins are sealed with negative pressure (vacuum) and once opened, they never close back again.


Thank you for the heads-up!

:yo:


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## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

As promised, below are photos of my Howell Ukulele next to my Eltang Eskimo. I placed the zippo in there to give you some idea of scale. The Eltang piece is somewhat small (at least I thought so when I first removed it from its pipe sock and layed eyes on it for the first time). Of course, the Howell piece isn't much bigger.








p


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## plexiprs (Nov 18, 2005)

Garys4598 said:


> As promised, below are photos of my Howell Ukulele next to my Eltang Eskimo.


Looks like the first needs new strings ....... opcorn: :shocked:


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

Maybe it's just me, but for some reason those pipes freak me out. The shape, the color, everything, they remind me of leaches. Weird I know, but leaches freak me out. 

They are very beautiful pipes though, & quite unique!


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## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

After receiving a 4-jar set of 1/2 pint Ball mason jars, I finally got around to openning and transferring the tobac contained within this old tin of 1792 Dark Kendal Flake into a jar.

I can report there was definitely an audible "woosh" when I was finally able to pry-off the tin's lid (I have to imagine that's a good thing).

As I removed the sheets of tobac. . . to rub them in the palms of my hand; to break the tobac up, I couldn't help but to notice that several of the Kendal tobac sheets had what appeared to be very small off-white spots or splotchy areas here and there. _*WOULD THAT BE MOLD GROWNING ON THE TOBAC???*_ I didn't notice any green or wierd coloring to these small splotches; they were all essentially off-white in coloring.

After rubbing the tobac within my palms, its consistency was rather spongy. . . I assume that is a very good thing (versus during the 'palming/rubbing process' having it break apart into tiny, dry flakes).

So. . . short of taking photos of the small, off-white splotchy areas to show you gents, which I can no longer do since I already rubbed the tobac and transferred it into the mason jar. . . *Does this old can of 1792 Dark Kendal Flake, based on the description that I've provided above, sound okay and good-to-go to smoke???*

Any insight would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

~Gary

ipe:


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

1792 is a love it or really hate it sort of smoke. It is strong tobacco. Many smoke it as a go-to, many can't stand it at all. I enjoy it, but prefer other tobaccos in that style.

The splotches were probably not mold, but crystals that develop as part of the aging process. It is normal. Most say it is crystalized sugar, but that bit of pipe lore has been scientifically debunked, although I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it is.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Man, I'd have had that stuff in a pipe already! But then you'll probably live longer than I will with your caution...


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## IHT (Dec 27, 2003)

Jack Straw said:


> Most say it is crystalized sugar, *but that bit of pipe lore has been scientifically debunked*, although I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it is.


do you have a link for this? i have never heard that it was debunked, not denying, just would like to see it with my own eyes.


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## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

Jack Straw said:


> . . . *The splotches were probably not mold, but crystals that develop as part of the aging process. It is normal. Most say it is crystalized sugar,* but that bit of pipe lore has been scientifically debunked, although I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it is.


Thank you so much for the info and for setting me straight Andrew!!! I hugely appreciate it.

ipe:


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

IHT said:


> do you have a link for this? i have never heard that it was debunked, not denying, just would like to see it with my own eyes.


Hmm I went googling and this is what I found, although I'm not sure if this is where I originally heard it, but it probably is, since it doesn't actually say what they are.



The Pipe Tobacco Aging said:


> What are these crystals on my aged tobacco?
> 
> Answer: nobody really knows. But Greg Pease has some thoughts...
> 
> ...


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## IHT (Dec 27, 2003)

thx


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